Seat on board remains vacant

By Harold Gwin

The board will meet again next Tuesday in an effort to make its selection.

YOUNGSTOWN — The city school board will make a second attempt next week to decide on its newest member.

“We were unable to come to a consensus agreement,” said Anthony Catale, board president, after Tuesday’s meeting.

The board recessed the meeting until 4:30 p.m. next Tuesday, at which time it hopes to pick the successor to Shelley Murray, who resigned July 28 after serving 51‚Ñ2 years.

“There were a lot of well-qualified candidates,” Catale said.

A total of 13 school district residents applied for the job, and the board met in special session Friday to review those applications and narrow the list to three finalists.

All three — June Drennen of 244 Tod Lane, Andrea Mahone of 309 Belle Vista Ave. and Lee D. Pupio of 3432 N. Wendover Circle — were called into closed-door interviews immediately preceding Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

Catale had said he expected the appointment to be made at the meeting, but, after the vote to recess the session, said that the six remaining board members were unable to come to a decision. An appointment will require a majority vote of four board members under Ohio law.

More time is needed to review the applications, Catale said.

State law gives the school board 30 days from the date of the resignation to name a successor. Failure to act within that time period would put the appointment in the hands of the Mahoning County Probate Court, something school board members said they don’t want to happen.

Whoever gets the appointment will serve the entire 21‚Ñ2 years remaining in Murray’s term.

In other business, the board presented certificates of recognition to three young men involved in the recent “Spirit of Giving Outreach Program” at Chaney High School.

Singled out for special attention was Justin Kalinay, a 2009 Chaney graduate and president of the school’s Key Club.

It was Kalinay who was the driving force and organizer of the event that provided free clothing, books, food and even appliances to people in need of assistance.

“He really did all the work on this program,” said John Allen, district spokesman, pointing out that Kalinay enlisted a variety of social-service organizations as well as other Key clubs and honor societies from a number of schools to participate.

“We are going to try to make it an annual event,” said Kalinay, who starts classes at the College of Wooster this month.

After receiving his certificate from Allen, Kalinay then introduced two others who were instrumental in working on the project — Anthony Durkin, a junior at Chaney, and Tim Karabin, a graduate of Austintown Fitch — and presented them with their certificates.

Allen then read the names of about 30 other involved students who also will be receiving certificates.

Richard Scarsella, Chaney Key Club adviser, said Kalinay “exemplifies Kiwanis Key Club philosophy — community and school service.”

gwin@vindy.com